The media product follows conventions of similar sci-fi and thriller films in its opening sequence, genre, and themes explored. However, it subtly challenges expectations by not immediately revealing its sci-fi genre like Star Wars, using a homeless man as the unlikely hero, and having brighter lighting than typically expected for the genre. The narrative also follows a classic pattern of establishing equilibrium, disrupting it, and resolving it, shown through split screening in the sequence.

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or challenge
forms and conventions of real media
products?
Question one

2. I feel that on a whole, our opening sequence follows the forms and conventions of real
media products. However, although our chosen genre is sci-fi, to the audience the genre
of our film is quite subvert. This is because from the opening sequence you cant really
see that it is sci-fi like which challenges similar media products as in films such as Star
Wars where the genre is obvious with in the first few seconds due to the mise-en-scene,
music etc. Instead it is similar to Children of men in the way that you don’t
automatically see the genre although there may be some subtle clues.
As the film unfolds I think it will become clear.

3. • Society is a theme explored within our film through
the protagonist, the homeless man. British films in
particular deal with society based themes such as
unemployment and so in this way we have followed
conventions of similar products but have developed it
by the homeless character being the one out to
protect everyone and becoming the hero. The themes
tie into the events that take place and the mystery
aspect of it is what makes the story unfold and
gripping for the audience.

4. • The iconography, lighting mise-en-scene and
setting are conventional of a similar film, for
example the dirty streets, the background,
extras etc. However one thing that may not be
so conventional, but is due to our filming
rather than the storyline, is the lighting. The
lighting of our sequence may be brighter and
more natural than expected for this type of
film.

5. • Looking at Todorovs’ theory, I think this media product
follows a classic narrative pattern. It shows the
equilibrium- the hero walking through London, the
disruption – the hero finding the paper the antagonist
dropped and through the film the disruption would be
resolved. We showed this in our sequence by split
screening the equilibrium and not the disruption as it
clearly showed a difference between the two of them.
The split screening and the music are enigma codes for
the disruption about to take place.

6. • I think our opening sequence follows the typical
format of existing opening sequences. The function of
an opening sequence is to introduce the main
character, which ours does, and establish the setting,
which ours also does. An opening sequence also gives
the audience a chance to form an opinion of the
characters. Ours does allow this as majority of screen
time is of the main character but it may not be the
right opinion that we were aiming for. Although the
voice over may create questions for the audience
which may challenge their own stereotypical views.